Hood for electroplating-tanks.



C. E. LEPPEL.

Hoon PoR BLBGTROPLATING TANKS.

APFLIOATIOH FILED APB. 16, 19 13. 1,085,742'.

Patented Feb.3, 1914.

. l llllllllll- Flaca INVENTOR m Y M 0 M il Z l FIG.2

WIT-NssSl-:s

'UNiTED srA-'rEs PATENT oFFioE.

CLARENCE EDWARD LEEEEL, or NIAGARA EALLs, NEwYo'Rx, Ass'frelNon 'ro TEESPIRELLA COMPANY, 'INCoRroRArEn or NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A Co'Rro-RATION 0F NEW YORK.

Hoon ECR. EL-ECTRCPLATINGmAN'xs.

Speciicaltion of Letters ateiit.

'Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Application'led April 16, 1913. Serial No. '761,632'A 5.have invented anew and useful Improvelment in Hoods for Electroplating-Tanks,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hoods for electro-plating tanks. y

The ob-'ect of the invention is to provide an improved construction andarrangement of hood for electro-plating tanks,w-here'by the fumes, gasesland vapors arising `from the electrolyte in the tank and produced bythe electro-plating action may be conducted away and prevented fromescaping into the .open air. f

Various electrolyte solutions are used in the electro-plating industry.In many cases the electrolyte is of such composition, and the reactionstaking place lwithin the cell are such, that fumes, 4gases lor vaporsare given on by the cell into 'the open air. Such fumes and gases areoften obnoxious and disagreeable and may, as when the electrolyte is 'acyanid solution, be actually poisonous. For this reason it is oftendangerous for the operators to work around or near the plating tank, andusually it is necessary 30 to provide a special building or room 1nwhich the tanks 'are placed, so that the vapors or vfumes given oit willnot `affect other surrounding apparatus or materials.

In the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Figure1 is an end elevation of an electrofplating tank withvrnyinventionappled thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the hood and the upper part of the tank; and Fig. 4 is across section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2.

The tank 1 which contains the electrolyte `hay be of any of the usualforms and lis illustrated as rect-angular, being longer in one directionthan in the other, with side'and end walls 2 provided at vtheir upperedges either externally or internally, and shown as externally, withangle irons 3. Suitably supported over the tank are the anode supr ports4 and the cathode supports 5 which are properly insulated from eachother and connected up in the electric circuits, the articles to 4bevplated being suspended from lthe cathodes, as is usual.

lUpon the 'tank l is supported a hood 6, preferably formed 'ofgalvanized -iron segments soldered or otherwise secured together attheir edges 'and having side walls 7 and `end walls 78, which are archedor curved upwardly and 'toward each other with their. concave sidesdownwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, so the-hood is dome-shaped and 'hollow'or.'open on its underside. The lower edgestof the side andlend wal'lsare bent -or flanged inwardly, as at 9, to form flanges which rest upontheangle irons 3. The hood may rest loosely =upon the plati'ng tank, butmay, if Adesired, be secured thereto by bolts or rivets 1'0, which mustbe insulated from the tank,and which pass through the'fianges 9 andangle irons 3. Preferably, however, no attempt is made to 'seal the hoodtightly to the tank -s'ince slight spaces or gaps between the hood andthe tank ithrough which air may "be drawn into the space beneath thehood are an advantage rather than a detriment.

The top of the hood 6 is provided with a longitudinal opening 11surrounded by the parallel edges of the side and end walls 7 Iand 8,which are either bent or ianged upwardly or Eare provided with separateHanges or angles 12 secured thereto. The

arching or curvingof the side 'and end walls 7 is preferably such thatthe edges of the opening 11 will 'be' separated as widely as' Apossiblein order 'to *give plenty of room `for access, through the opening 11,to the 'cathode supports 5, so lthat the articles to be plated can bereadily inserted or removed. The angles or flanges 12 on the ,side walls7 Vform parallel guides which support, and along which slide, adjustablecovers -13 and 14, which `overlap and are provided at their l smaller,or the smaller cover can be slid beneath the larger. Both covers areconsequently slidable substantially the full length of the hood.Preferably, also, said covers are provided with suitable handles 16 and,at their ends and on their under surfaces, they are provided withdownwardly projecting straps or stop members 17, arranged to abut theend flanges l2 of the hood and prevent the covers from being moved toofar.

As shown in the drawings, both of the vcovers are bodily removable fromthe hood, so that the opening at the top thereof can be fully opened.This permits plating racksl loaded with articles and of substantiallythe full length of the tank to be readily inserted and placed inposition on the conducting bars. The covers are both slidable in orderthat either end of the tank may be opened separately for the purpose ofinspection of the articles to be plated.

One of the side walls 7 of the hood is provided with an elongatedlongitudinal slot or opening 18, providing communication between thespace beneath the hood and a conduit 19. Conduit 19 is connected at itsend to a funnel-shaped or flaring member 20, formed of sheet metal andsecured to the outer surface of the hood wall Z over the opening 18. Theopening 18 is elongated, and member 20 is funnel-shaped or flared, inorder that the gases, fumes 0r vapors may be `drawn out from both endsof the tank. Conduit 19 leads to a suitable suction producing devicesuch as the centrifugal pump or fan 21, although any convenient orpreferred form of pump or fan may be used. Openings or slots 22 are alsoprovided in the lower edges of the end walls 8 of the hood, throughwhich project the anode and cathode supports 4 and 5, so that electricalconnection thereto may be made.

The articleslto be plated are suspended from the cathode supports 5 'andare placed in position through the opening 11, the

' covers 13 and 14 being adjusted or slid lon-g gitudinally on theflanges 12 to open the hood. When the plating action begins the fan 21is started and this exhausts the air, gas fumes and vapors from thespace beneath the hood 6, and carries it out from the room in which theplating tank is located.V It is unnecessary that the joints between thehood and tank be tight, or that the covers 13 and 14 fit tightly. Infact, it is better to arrange the parts so that some openings at le'astwill be formed, thereby permitting air to enter from the outside.

The construction is simple and may be readily applied to all existingforms of plating tank. It moreover, does not need to be secured to thetank and is therefore portable so that it can be moved naround from onetank to another and connected up to the conduit system leading to thepump or fan. The hood described is also comparatively inexpensive andprevents the liability of any of the fumes or gases escaping into theopen air.

What I claim is 1. A hood for plating tanks, comprising a member convexupwardly and resting upon the plating' tank wall, said member beingprovided with a large top opening through which access may be had to theinside of the plating tank, removable covers for said opening, a conduitsecured to the side wa-ll of .said member and communieating with thespace beneath the same, and means for withdrawingthe gases and fumesformed in said tank through said conduit.

2. A hood for plating tanks, comprising ay sheet metal member providedwith side and end walls arched upwardly and having a wide longitudinaltop opening through which access may be had to the inside of the platingtank, a removable cover for said opening, and a conduit secured to theside wall of said member below said opening and communicating with thespace beneath the same, whereby the fumes and gases from the platingtank may be withdrawn therefrom.

3. A hood for plating tanks, comprising a sheet metal member having sideand end walls arched upwardly and toward' each other and adaptedto reston the tank walls and provided with a large, wide opening in its top,the edges of said opening being parallel', a cover for said openingcomprising two members each slidable along the edges of said opening,whereby either end of the tank maybe openedat will, said covers -beingalso bodily removable to expose the entire opening, and a conduitconnected to said sheet metal member below said opening and throughwhich the .fumes from the plating tank may be withdrawn.

4. A hood for plating tanks, comprising a sheet metal member having sideand end walls arched upwardly and inwardly and adapted to rest upon thetank walls and provided with Va top opening, the side edges of saidopening being parallel and projecting upwardly, a pair of covers havingdownwardly projecting side flanges embracing the spaced edges of saidopening and adjustable therealong, said covers being also bodilyremovable from said hood, and stops secured to the lower surfaces ofsaid covers and adapted to contact the end walls of the tank to limitmovement of said covers.

5. A hood for plating tanks, comprising a sheet metal member open on itsunder side and resting upon the plating tank wall and provided with alarge top opening, a closure for said opening. said closure being bodilyremovable to expose the entire opening, the side wall of said memberbeing provided with an elongated longitudinally extending opening, afunnel-shaped member secured -In testimony7 whereof, I have hereunto setto the outside of said side Wall and covering my hand.

said opening, and a oondut communicating 'CLARENCE EDWARD LEFFEL. withsaid funnel shaped member and Witnesses: 5 through which the fumes ofthe plating tank H. E.v WIIJAIAMB, may be'withdrawn. F. vW. WINTER.

